AFP - President Barack Obama headed to a Virginia hotel for debate camp Saturday on a mission to transform his re-election pitch after his tame first clash with Mitt Romney hammered his poll ratings.
Obama planned four days of cramming at the resort at the historic colonial city of Williamsburg, ahead of Tuesday's crucial second debate against his Republican opponent with the November 6 election on a knife edge.
The president has seen Romney take the lead in national polls and eat deep into his prior advantage in battleground state surveys since the Republican's clear victory in Denver 10 days ago, imperiling his hopes of a second term.
Obama's aides have declined to say how the president will change his approach in the second debate, which takes place at Hofstra University, New York, but there have been signs of an evolving strategy.
Since the Denver showdown, Obama has unveiled a snappier stump speech, and criticized Romney for an "extreme makeover" of conservative positions and over a secretly filmed tape of him decrying half of Americans to rich donors.
Mystified Democrats sharply criticized Obama for not taking a similar tack during a lethargic and unfocused performance in the first debate.
Vice President Joe Biden prosecuted a more forensic attack on Romney when he met the Republican's vice presidential nominee, Paul Ryan, in their debate on Thursday, a showing that cheered Democrats dismayed by Obama's performance.
But Romney's team senses growing momentum across the board, including what may turn out to be the crucial swing state of Ohio, which Democrats see as a firewall for Obama, and which has been decisive in numerous US elections.
"There's a growing crescendo of enthusiasm," Romney said in a raucous event in Ohio on Friday evening.
"People recognize this is not an ordinary campaign. This is a critical time for the country.
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